Pixies

Nice trip! I can't hear the name "Barrow-in-Furness" without thinking:

You're joking?! More! If you can see M110, it's worth having a shot at nearby M33. Both are pretty faint, so your skies should be reasonable? Did you get a chance to use the filters on the dumbell nebula when it was higher earlier in the year? That always benefits from either and shows a good difference.

https://binocularsky.com/binoc_choosing.php#:~:text=5. -,Best Buys,-My intention in

And this are the stargazer's Christmas annuals- good as stocking-fillers! https://www.amazon.co.uk/2022-Guide-Night-month-month/dp/0008393532 or https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Stargazing-Month-Britain-Ireland/dp/1849075875

Interested in this as I've never been able to see more than just a hint of pale fuzziness in widest field possible in my 8" dob.

Nice result. I've used the black T-shirt shroud before. It does keep your head warmer! To confirm it's field curvature, adjust the focus slightly. If you can get the outer stars in focus, with the centre now out of focus, it's field curvature.

Also, bear in mind that last night had very poor seeing conditions over the UK (judging by last night's comments), despite being clear. Go with your lowest power to find the Orion nebula. Then close in on the "fish's mouth", as per the sketch in John's post. The 4 main stars look great as tiny pin-pricks when seeing conditions are good. On very good nights, use higher power to try and see E and F stars. F is pretty tricky to see - it'll look like a faint blob, rather than a proper dot, and most of the time just popping in and out of view.

https://www.netweather.tv/charts-and-data/jetstream

It'll probably be not-great. That's why I thought clusters night be the best target, if fuzzies and tight stars are out.

Crystal-clear here. First proper frost, too. Scope just out cooling. The forecast is for clouds from midnight, just when the moon sets. Auriga clusters for me tonight!

Yep - I found that with the Baader zoom. You get used to it after a while, but it would be great if you didn't have to refocus, like with a camera zoom lens. I assume it just adds to the complexity and weight. I don't know if the pricier zooms, like Leica and TV , suffer from this too? Pentax XW! Get you!

At work, we've just had the "Annual Conference". All zoom-based online presentations. Normally, it ends with a keynote speaker - usually a sportsman or adventurer used to giving an inspirational talk. This year it was Sir Brian of Cox! So we had an inspirational chat on astrophysics and particle physics! He was live from his (slightly messy) Manchester Uni office. Similar to other radio-type conversations I've heard with him, his 'real-life' persona is much more down-to-earth. I can't stand the way his TV programmes are usually made, but I imagine that is more down to the producers and how they expect these programmes to be. Even Jim Al-Khalili is made to wander through dreamy spires and pause staring across green-swathed lawns. Obvious his travel budget is smaller though! ps. I liked Prof C's story about booking a restaurant table with the other Brian Cox and they both turning up and pretending annoyed at being double-booked!

Yep, this is my favourite podcast, along with Awesome Astronomy.

Wow, big difference today. I didn't think I'd get another chance to see it from my back garden, but at 6:30 this morning, I managed to find it in a gap above a low roof. Even in the 10x50s, out now looks like a proper comet! Faint in the brightening sky, but with bright head and at least 1.5° of a very faint tail. I'm so glad I gave it a try this morning and that the skies were clear!

Yep - the small one. Now looking at the FLO website, I can see @johninderby's point: the small bar is solid and slotted, whereas the med and large ones have fixed hole distances.

I'll measure it and confirm when I get home from dad-taxi duties

Et voila: (With an ST80)

Went out at 5am this morning. It's too low to observe from the back garden at that time now, so took the 10x50 binos down to the beach. Unfortunately the (very) high tide meant that I couldn't get far enough away from the lights on the prom to get a very suitable view. I could find it, but it was hard to see under the bright orange lamps. So back home and I waited until 6am when it was just high enough to see above the neighbours' roof. I think this will be the last chance for me to see it from the garden, as it's moving so fast now. Luckily, I could still see the much lower M5 to the SW of the comet in a gap. The comet is much larger and brighter than this globular, which is mag 5.9. So I'd estimate the comet to be mag 5 at least, although I have no experience estimating the magnitude of extended objects. It could well be brighter, as it appears so much larger. I guess this would make it just naked-eye visible in a dark sky? Anyway, it is much brighter and larger than my last observation in the binos. A hint of a brighter nucleus with averted vision. Could I see the tail? I think so, but considering I knew the direction it is trailing away from the comet, was it just a case of 'suggested vision'? It was too late to get the little grab-and-go scope out, as the sky was brightening and neighbours lights coming on. Any future observations will involve travelling, or waders!

I have the 14mm ES. It replaced the 16mm Nirvana. I found the Nirvana hard to get comfortable with. Not sure exactly why but eye-placement seemed more fussy. However, others have not had this problem, so it's try it and see. The ES was a case of just stick your eye in it and view!

Tesco were selling these last week at a discount. But the big A (UK) sells 5 pairs for £3.20!

She gets up at 6am too! (I know - is she really my daughter?) This week I've asked her to check the sky when she's awake and get me up if it's clear. It'll save me having to get up too early to check for comet Leonard when it might be cloudy!

Normally, my observing is after kids/dog gone to bed - so after 10pm. But this afternoon, my daughter was trying to pick out Jupiter, Saturn and Venus when we were out; saying that Saturn was her favourite planet. So when we got home around 5pm, I grabbed the ST80 and set it up with the zoom EP. Saw Jupiter and Saturn in the scope. Did some constellations - Cygnus, Vega, Cassiopeia, Pegasus, Arcturus, Ursa Maj & Min, etc. Finished with M31 through the scope. All before tea! It's cloudy now, too!

I do admire the Lego skilz though. I used to have a plastic tube tied to the finder bracket to act as a very basic finder.

One word. Telrad.